14 Indian seafarers of the dhow Vishvakalyan were rescued by Portuguese Warship NRP Corte-Real (F332) on June 13.

Some interesting features of rescue by NRP Corte-Real are:

Dhow Vishvakalyan left from the port of Brava, south of Mogadishu on June 3 with a shipment of charcoal to Sharjah in the UAE.

The dhow was intercepted by Somali pirates off the Somalia coast.

The pirates kept the dhow and the crew in their captivity for almost ten days at sea. There is a possibility that the pirates were using this dhow as mother ship to capture a bigger vessel.

With the days passing, the pirates finished up all the provisions in the dhow and finally decided to leave the dhow.

As per the captain of the dhow Ismail Abdurehman, before leaving the dhow the pirates forcibly took most of the sailors’ belongings including radios, phones, television sets and presents bought for their families. Also the crew were beaten up by the pirates all over.

The pirates released the dhow on the late evening on June 12, with only three chickens and the dhow’s cat.

The crew from Gujarat, India, could not call for help as the pirates broke their VHF radio antenna and they decided to reach the Yemeni island of Socotra to get help.

Meanwhile, Portuguese Warship NRP Corte-Real (F332) of NATO, spotted the dhow about 20 nautical miles south-east of Hobyo off Somaliacoast.

The warship rescued the sailors on June 13, a day after they were freed by pirates.

The warship provided all necessary assistance as the crew were without food and suffering from bruises, dehydration, diarrhea and respiratory illnesses.

Here are some photographs from Portuguese Navy of Rescue operations and rendering medical assistance to Dhow Vishvakalyan.